I posted the email below in response to another posting but I'm relisting it here as another subject to get your responses and see if others share my opinion. Basically a very mediocre career journeyman who is probably a great guy gets 5mil a year. Insanity.

Below are my thoughts: Comments wanted !!

I'm about ready to divorce myself from MLB, watching the Red Sox, etc and participating in this forum. When a very mediocre below average journeyman ball players make silly money of 5mil a year after one decent season it may be time to say I've had enough.

Gomes just hit .262 last year with barely hitting above .200 the prior three seasons. He strikes out about once in slightly over once in every three at bats and isn't a good fielder and he's getting 5mil a season. A player in MLB with a mediocre career record like Gomes finally has one decent season after three years of lower than mediocre performance and his salary escalates by 500%. There is something grossly wrong with MLB.

The economy stinks, we've still got almost 9% unemployment with most of us seeing less of our paycheck every year yet baseball salaries continue to rise, ticket prices especially in Boston are at an all time high and yet we're expected to fill the parks. I'm not sure about the rest of you but I'm relocated in Milwaukee even though I'm still a Sox fan and even though ticket prices are far cheaper here I can only afford a few games a year.

On top of the ridiculous ticket prices you pay $5.00 for a krappy beer that cost them $10.00 a case wholesale and barely eatable hot dogs for $4.00.

Sorry to beetch but I'm fed up with it all. For those of us working stiffs all of the above happening while our salaries are worth less each year just shows that whether it is the players or management, there is little to no regard for the fans who support the game.

The Yankees overestimated their market. The result was a lot more empty luxery boxes than they anticpated and a recent sale of Yes for new capital.

Softy,

But if I remember reading prior articles because the Yankees are in NYC with as much rich history as they have had they have more money coming in from Television contracts, etc because they are in such a large urban market. NYC population of about 8.2million plus suburbs compared to Boston's market of 600,000 plus suburbs means lots more income.

Their market is huge, but the money is no longer going up. They are still the leaders, but they didn't sell the media market share to Fox because their premium media market is still in an upward trajectory. Fox has the media resources to levarage what the ownership can't, to provide better value.

You make a valid point, on the Yankee market, but it's clear that even that has reached the saturation tipping point for even the owners of the largest MLB market.

Softy,

You're probably right. No matter what the total revenue, it has to hit a ceiling eventually as well as what the ownership is willing to spend. No sure if I'm right be it seems that since George Senior past on or past the reins over to I believe his son they are less likely to spend frivolously. Not to be overly negative about the RS front office but it seems the RS free agent signing success rate is not nearly as good as the Yankees over all.

The sport entertainment consumers want player effort, good team performance, excitement and player loyalty to the team and community. Because sports is a closed shop of millionaires, the notion that "you can't blame them for chasing top dollar" is hollow.

The economy is horrible, the sports and entertainment business has overexposed, oeverpriced and oversold itself, and there are other entertainment options that are a far better value.

We have passed the high water market for MLB, NHL and NBA gate, and the decline of what amounts to little more than a media license business will follow. The exception is the NFL, and as long as it's legal (and it should be) it's violence and gladiators footprint will continue to capture the violence and gambling audience that is still an untapped international market.

The enemy of the NFL is the public policy maternalism that has ruined the Nation. The more the trial lawyers and community organizers chip away at the violent aspect of footballl, the closer the NFL will come to entertainment irrelevance.

In musing further on the politics and business of sports and entertainment, anyone have one good reason why the LPGA and WNBA are legally able to exist by exluding people based upon gender?

The MLB is monopoly that forces salaries down. Player aren't free to sell their wares if they were salaries would be insane.

In musing further on the politics and business of sports and entertainment, anyone have one good reason why the LPGA and WNBA are legally able to exist by exluding people based upon gender?

The exclusion of certain groups from being eligible to participate in certain sports organizations is a widespread and fair practice, wouldn't you say? By the same token, the Champions golf tour exludes players under 50.

I posted the email below in response to another posting but I'm relisting it here as another subject to get your responses and see if others share my opinion. Basically a very mediocre career journeyman who is probably a great guy gets 5mil a year. Insanity.

Below are my thoughts: Comments wanted !!

I'm about ready to divorce myself from MLB, watching the Red Sox, etc and participating in this forum. When a very mediocre below average journeyman ball players make silly money of 5mil a year after one decent season it may be time to say I've had enough.

Gomes just hit .262 last year with barely hitting above .200 the prior three seasons. He strikes out about once in slightly over once in every three at bats and isn't a good fielder and he's getting 5mil a season. A player in MLB with a mediocre career record like Gomes finally has one decent season after three years of lower than mediocre performance and his salary escalates by 500%. There is something grossly wrong with MLB.

The economy stinks, we've still got almost 9% unemployment with most of us seeing less of our paycheck every year yet baseball salaries continue to rise, ticket prices especially in Boston are at an all time high and yet we're expected to fill the parks. I'm not sure about the rest of you but I'm relocated in Milwaukee even though I'm still a Sox fan and even though ticket prices are far cheaper here I can only afford a few games a year.

On top of the ridiculous ticket prices you pay $5.00 for a krappy beer that cost them $10.00 a case wholesale and barely eatable hot dogs for $4.00.

Sorry to beetch but I'm fed up with it all. For those of us working stiffs all of the above happening while our salaries are worth less each year just shows that whether it is the players or management, there is little to no regard for the fans who support the game.

Hetch

Hello Hetchinspete :)

Thank you for sharing your comments.

I do not want to sound rude but I respectfully disagree with you. I never understood why fans complain that sports athletes make millions. MLB, NFL, NBA players worked their a**es off since childhood and were chosen (or recruited) among the hundreds of thousands.

Besides, this is all part of capitalism where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It sucks but it is what it is.

I make a six-figure income. But I had to pay my dues (e.g. going to MIT for my MBA, finally paying off my student loans, eating cheap ramen noodles, etc.). The money I make is no where near what Johny Gomes makes, but at least I have my privacy and comfort. If Gomes goes on a 0 for 20 hitless streak, then the Boston media will let him know. LOL

I hope you change your mind and continue to enjoy the game of baseball. :)

What's there to say? You should spend your money anyway you see fit. There are no good guys and bad guys here. People charge you what they feel they can get away. Same with concerts, movies, and most everything else. If they increase prices 10%, and not many people leave, then that's what the product is worth. If they increase the price, and 20% less people attend, then the product is obviously not worth that price.

Maybe something that is not worth it to you, might be worth it to someone else.

Look it is simple, if the players making 10 million only got 5 million and the one making 1 million only made 500k then the prices for the games would be half as much - in theory.

Join me and start a Fans Union and we will force prices at the park down with boycotts which will ultimately force salaries down. Make it illegal for tax money to go to building a play house for millionaires to play a game in.

Name any ballplayer that would not be happy to still play for what would amount to a few million dollars over their career. Name any player that would cry over only earning 500k to play the game rather than have to go to work and punch a clock.

Owners will charge what fans will pay no matter if the player makes $500K or $5M. That's what capitalism is all about. I don't get why the guys like you and soty want to turn baseball into a commiesport.

running a business is all about maximizing profits. The RS will spend the going rates and higher on salaries. It will allow them to always have the best team possible thus maximizing profits. As long as teams pay what we think are higher than reasonnable salaries we will continue to think we are getting screwed.

Btw the prices paid at all parks are tied to the associated rates and costs for the area. Thus prices paid at the Trop have no relation to NY or Boston or LA, etc... A beer at Fenway will be always be higher than most other parks. Also a $3 beer at the Trop is $3 at a local bar. I bet the cost of beer at Fenway it is similar at bars around Boston It is Econ 101 rates rates rates supply and demand.

Btw lack of demand in one park has no affect on other parks or rates.

So if the salaries go down at Fenway or there are less people going it will have no affect on player salaries in other places. The effect will be a lesser group of talent on the field.